2008 Honda Civic Engine Problems

What component or system failed or malfunctioned, and is it available for inspection upon request? Engine, steering. Purchased the car from a certified dealership in January 2026. After 3 months of driving, the car began exhibiting performance issues. During a normal acceleration pattern, the car would go into a ‘limp mode’ where all dashboard lights would turn on and the car’s performance became severely limited. Acceleration is barely possible when this happens and the car must be turned off and restarted in order to get the car out of ‘limp mode,’ which is a MAJOR safety concern communicated to Honda. It is also of major concern that every time there is a performance issue, every light illuminates, not allowing the driver to diagnose and safely operate the vehicle without Honda assistance with diagnosis. Honda scans revealed P3004 engines misfire code- recommendations included replacing a spark plug. I replaced all four spark plugs and performance returned to normal. Steering recall (Recall Campaign SJS- 2022-25 Civic EPS Grbx Safe ) was also repaired on 6/24/2026- the car was exhibiting steering tightness and locking behaviors which were resolved after this repair. On 7/9, the car was traveling at 70mph when all dashboard lights came on once again. The car did not exhibit performance degradation at this time and was immediately taken for additional engine scan, which provided new code P0299 Turbocharger Underboost problem. Honda reported this code was not present during the scans on 6/24/2026. Dashboard warning lights disappeared on 6/25/2026. On 7/16/2026, the car began exhibiting major steering wheel locking and tightness, much worse than before the steering recall was fixed. I am unsure if it is related to the Turboboost issue. The car also began exhibiting engine performance issues again, rendering the car unsafe to operate until taken back to Honda for further diagnostics.

NHTSA ID

11751178

Incident

Jul 16, 2026

Engine temperature suddenly rose high, pulled over. Discovered what appeared to be coolant on front of block. Had diagnosed and found to have a cracked block. Contacted Honda, the refused to do anything as it wasn’t a recall only a warranty bulletin. This needs to be recalled so people who are affected can get their cars fixed.

NHTSA ID

11719251

Incident

Feb 9, 2026

Engine block cracked. Leaking coolant and rendering vehicle useless.

NHTSA ID

11661602

Incident

Feb 11, 2025

Engine has a crack block on the front. It is a known issue but it is past the warranty that honda offered. I think they should extend the warranty more.

NHTSA ID

11646828

Incident

Mar 6, 2025

Oil is leaking and now coolant is leaking. Did not buy the car brand new bought it from a pre owned vehicle dealership

NHTSA ID

11590931

Incident

May 27, 2024

Engine block crack over heat during driving

NHTSA ID

11558698

Incident

Oct 20, 2023

As I was driving my car home on 8/31, I looked at the temperature gauge and saw my car was overheating. I make sure to check my temperature gauge periodically while driving so I am positive it’s the first time it’s popped up. I tried to pull over ASAP, but was in nonstop traffic and the car stopped moving. No lights were shown on the dashboard. I had recently gotten an oil change end of July when I purchased the car. Car was inspected by the state, 7/17/23 and passed. Car had a complete vehicle inspection the end of July as well and passed with flying colors. Car was diagnosed to have a cracked engine block by Conrad’s. My oil and coolant mixed. It has not been seen by a Honda manufacturer. No inspection done by insurance.

NHTSA ID

11553852

Incident

Aug 31, 2023

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, the vehicle started overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled to the side of the road, where she noticed that coolant was leaking onto the ground. The vehicle was towed to the residence. The vehicle was then towed to Firestone, where it was diagnosed that there was a crack in the engine block, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that she would be charged a fee for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 134,000.

NHTSA ID

11549643

Incident

Oct 12, 2023

Mileage

134,000 mi

No warning except temp Guage rising extremely fast pulled over no coolant no obvious leaks took to shop cracked block along with all the other 2008 Honda civics with the same factory defect My car is late to show signs and I missed the warranty extention 130000 miles Expected to run at minimum 200000 unacceptable business practice

NHTSA ID

11542379

Incident

Aug 23, 2023

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while entering the vehicle, the contact discovered a coolant leak underneath the vehicle onto the ground. The vehicle was taken to the dealer, where it was diagnosed with a crack in the engine block. The contact was informed that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 144,000.

NHTSA ID

11536916

Incident

Jul 31, 2023

Mileage

144,000 mi

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 30 MPH, there was smoke coming from underneath the hood, and the vehicle was overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into a gas station, where her son added coolant to the vehicle. The contact was able to drive to her destination. Additionally, the contact stated that upon parking the vehicle, she noticed a trail of coolant in the driveway and there was no coolant in the reservoir. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic, where it was diagnosed that the engine block was cracked, and coolant was leaking through the crack. The mechanic determined that the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was then towed to another independent mechanic, for second opinion, and the same determination was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. An unknown dealer was notified of the failure. The manufacturer was notified of the failure and informed the contact that the vehicle could not be repaired under Honda Campaign Number: 10-048 because the campaign had expired. The failure mileage was approximately 150,000.

NHTSA ID

11531353

Incident

Jul 10, 2023

Mileage

150,000 mi

The vehicle started dripping coolant at a pretty consistent rate, and it is a cracked engine block. Honda has issued a service bulletin regarding the issue, but most of these vehicles (2006-2009 Civics) are now out of warranty and have to replace the engine at their own expense.

NHTSA ID

11525556

Incident

May 24, 2023

All of a sudden, with out warning, something was leaking from the car. Took it to a shop, and was surprised that they told me that it was leaking engine coolant and that the block was cracked and that the engine needed to be fixed replaced. No warning lights or anything, other than noticing that it was leaking something.

NHTSA ID

11521430

Incident

May 3, 2023

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 55 MPH, he noticed a strong coolant odor and that the temperature gauge was showing that the engine was overheating. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact veered to the side of the road. Upon inspecting the vehicle, the contact noticed that coolant was leaking into the engine compartment. The vehicle was towed to the local dealer, where it was diagnosed that the engine block was fractured, and that the engine needed to be replaced. The dealer sent a diagnostic report to the manufacturer; however, the manufacturer declined to cover the repair and informed the dealer that an extended warranty coverage notice for the engine, was previously sent to the contact. The contact stated that he had not received the notice. The contact followed up with the manufacturer, but no assistance was provided. The vehicle was not repaired. The failure mileage was approximately 272,906.

NHTSA ID

11518039

Incident

Mar 23, 2023

Mileage

272,906 mi

Coolant leaking from cylinder block. i was driving with my family in the car and the vehicle begin overheating from loosing all my coolant. There were no warnings before it happened

NHTSA ID

11505189

Incident

Feb 2, 2023

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that coolant was leaking underneath the vehicle. The contact examined the vehicle and noticed that the engine block was fractured. The vehicle was not diagnosed. The manufacturer was not contacted. The failure mileage was 114,000.

NHTSA ID

11493965

Incident

Nov 14, 2022

Mileage

114,000 mi

My daughter was driving Honda 2008 4DR Civic and it stopped acceleration on highway. Fumes were coming out of the car. Got it towed to Auto Centers. Their diagnostic stated that due to over heating of engine, one of the cylinder was not generating compression. The car is regularly serviced at Honda Civic dealer.

NHTSA ID

11486426

Incident

Sep 21, 2022

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 20 MPH, the vehicle started to overheat. There was no warning light illuminated. The contact pulled into the gas station and allowed the vehicle to cool down. The contact then refilled coolant in the vehicle. The contact was able to continue driving. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the part of the engine block located between with the alternator and the exhaust had fractured. The contact then contacted the dealer who informed him that the engine needed to be replaced per the instructions on Honda Technical Service Bulletin Number: 10-048. However, the dealer advised the contact that the 10 year extended warranty had expired and he had to pay out-of-pocket for the repair. The vehicle was not repaired. The manufacturer was notified of the failure but provided no assistance. The failure mileage was approximately 102,000.

NHTSA ID

11481735

Incident

Aug 22, 2022

Mileage

102,000 mi

cae is well maintained but recall expired last 2018 but the problem which is a cracked engine happened just recently and honda USA and dealer will not honor the warranty already i really feel that honda has the responsibility but it just happened only after the warranty expired it is a cracked engine hope you can help me and others who have the same problem

NHTSA ID

11480746

Incident

Jul 17, 2022

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving at an unknown speed, the vehicle stalled without warning. The contact was able to restart the vehicle however, after driving ½ mile, the vehicle stalled again. The vehicle was towed to an independent mechanic where it was diagnosed that the head gasket was blown and the engine needed to be replaced. The vehicle was not repaired. The dealer was notified of the failure, but the contact was informed that there were no recalls associated with the VIN. The manufacturer was not notified of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 200,000.

NHTSA ID

11480266

Incident

Aug 13, 2022

Mileage

200,000 mi

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated that she had noticed fluid leaking from her engine after her daughter parked the vehicle. Upon inspection, the contact discovered a crack on the engine block. The manufacturer was initially notified about the failure and referred the contact to the dealer. The dealer then gave the contact an estimate for a diagnostic to repair the vehicle. The vehicle had yet to be repaired and remained in the possession of the dealer. The failure mileage was approximately 68,000.

NHTSA ID

11477769

Incident

Jul 1, 2022

Mileage

68,000 mi

The contact owns a 2008 Honda Civic. The contact stated while driving 45 MPH, he saw steam exiting the hood and the temperature gauge started rising. The contact stated no warning light was illuminated. The contact was able to park at a nearby parking lot. The contact opened the hood and noticed steam coming from the front engine block. The contact also saw coolant leaking from the vehicle. The contact allowed the engine cool down before driving to his residence. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. A dealer was not contacted. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 114,044.

NHTSA ID

11477124

Incident

Aug 1, 2022

Mileage

114,044 mi

My car overheated last week and now has a cracked engine. Yes, my car is available for inspection but my car will be repaired in a couple days. My safety was put at risk since my car gave me no warning signs of overheating. I had absolutely no problems with this car beforehand and out of nowhere my engine cracked and my car overheated. I was lucky that my car didn't start steaming and breaking down. The problem has not been confirmed by a dealer, I am trying to work that out with them since this years model has a recall for overheating. It has been, however, confirmed by my mechanic that my mileage is extremely low for this to happen and to call Honda for reimbursement. The vehicle has been inspected by my local mechanic. There were absolutely no warning signs of my car overheating other than my air conditioning malfunctioning, that was the only sign of overheating that I had other than it showing on the temperature bar on the left side of my cars dashboard that the temperature was too high. My car overheated on Thursday (7/14) and the first sign that something was wrong was when my AC malfunctioned on Tuesday (7/12). I took my car straight to a mechanic on Thursday when I saw my car overheating.

NHTSA ID

11474955

Incident

Jul 14, 2022

My temperature gauge for the coolant went to the highest mark and then my car overheated. At the time, I was driving really early in the morning and in a secluded area where it would be difficult to obtain help. Eventually I pulled over and noticed there was a coolant leak. My coolant was near empty. I took my car to a mechanic and found out that the engine block was cracked. I have had the car for approximately 3 months. My mechanic told me that this is a common occurrence with this model. I had no idea. The vehicle is available for request upon inspection.

NHTSA ID

11474662

Incident

Jul 14, 2022

While driving to work, the owner noticed a smoke coming out of the hood. The owner also noticed that engine temperature shot all the way up indicating that the engine might be overheating. Upon taking to a nearest auto shop, the owner was told that the engine block has a crack which is causing leak. Honda is aware of this issue and has provided extended warranty for 10 more years from the date of purchase. Unfortunately, the owner experienced cracked engine block issue 14 years after the date of purchase - 4 years after the extended warranty had expired. Upon calling the dealership, the owner was informed to file a claim with North America Honda. If Honda was aware of cracked engine block, why did it not replace engines in all affected models and trim levels?

NHTSA ID

11472829

Incident

Jun 30, 2022